Halloween in New York City never fails to deliver a frightfully epic night, and this year is no different. Our two picks to spend your All Hallows Eve are at the world famous Village Halloween Parade and Pier of Fear.
If you’re a NYC veteran, we have no doubt that you’ve been around the Village Halloween Parade block at least once or twice. A worldwide cultural event, this annual parade continues to gain more fame every year; therefore, we think it’s worth revisiting. Prepare yourself to see everything from Miley Cyrus “The Designer” to Game of Thrones’ Daenerys Targaryen Dothraki to Frozen-inspired costumes. Each year, the parade draws in over two million spectators, over fifty thousand costumed participants, bands, dancers, floats, and the infamous larger-than-life puppets. As usual, the line up begins around 6th Avenue and Spring Street on Halloween night.
Feel as though it’s your duty as a New Yorker to go to the Village Halloween Parade, but would kill for something a little more alternative this year? Pier of Fear, NYC’s Halloween Music Festival, kickstarts the holiday on its very own float in the Village Halloween Parade before making its way down to Pier 94 to spend the rest of the weekend entertaining you with music and scares. For two nights, Pier of Fear will be headlining today’s biggest DJs in electronic music alongside Blood Manor, New York’s premiere haunted attraction. This year’s festival features a massive production set from Adventure Club and friends on Friday, October 31, and a high-energy set from Nicky Romero and friends on Saturday, November 1. Pier 94’s warehouse vibe mixed with incredible views of the Hudson River will offer an experience different from any other on this NYC night. If the beats don’t give you chills, then the freaks off their leashes in Blood Manor sure will. We’d say “prepare yourself for a scare,” but we’re not even sure that it’s possible to prepare for what this event has in store.